Pomrinca got the attention of everyone in attendance at the King of the Mountain tournament at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa., last weekend by storming his way into the 120-pound title match where he pushed Bethlehem Catholic's Darian Cruz to his limits before surrendering a 3-2 decision to the reigning PIAA Class AA state champ.

"Last year I wasn't really that known," Pomrinca said. "And I don't think people really knew what to expect when they saw my name or wrestled me. Now, people know exactly who I am."

You can count Cruz among those people.

"Even though I'd never wrestled (Pomrinca) before I knew he had to be a tough kid to get to the finals of this tournament," the nationally-ranked Cruz told The Express-Times' Brad Wilson after defeating the Lions' sophomore.

Tough indeed.

Pomrinca, the No. 2 seed, moved into the semifinals of the tournament in true workmanlike fashion with a first-round major decision before handling Cumberland Valley's Saurab Faruque 7-0 and then knocking off seventh-seeded Richie Gilson from Juniata 5-1 in the quarterfinal.

That set up a dogfight against Council Rock South's Dan Martoccio - the No. 3 seed - in the semis, where Pomrinca prevailed in 3-1 in overtime.

"That (semifinal match) was a great bout," North Hunterdon coach Tim Flynn said. "That was even better than the final bout. (Martoccio) is a stud. They went at each other, fending off shots. It was just a good high school bout."

Pomrinca seems right at home in pressure situations.

"I just go out and wrestle my match," Pomrinca said. "I don't focus on the situation or who I am wrestling. Like King of the Mountain. I knew I had to beat Darian Cruz to win it, but I didn't want to look beyond the other guys in my bracket or I could get beat before I got there."

"Ryan never panics," Flynn said. "And he's comfortable whether it's on bottom or top or if someone's close to taking him down. He's comfortable on the mat. That's because he wrestles all the time. It's also his personality. He likes to joke around and have fun, but he's all business when it comes to wrestling."

Pomrinca is the poster child for the year-round athlete with a focus on wrestling.

Bi-weekly workouts at North Hunterdon, countless open tournaments, trips to North Dakota for the Fargo National Championships - where he went 3-2 in a brutal 120-pound freestyle bracket - not to mention strength training at Pro-Activity Associates, are all part of Pomrinca's summer vacation.

Pro-Activity is located a stone's throw from the North Hunterdon High School wrestling room just off Route 31 in Lebanon Township and is run by former Lions standout Mike Eisenhart.

The offseason has paid off in spades, especially strength-wise.

Pomrinca is noticeably bigger in the upper body and his strength was evident in his 10-2 major decision over Phillipsburg's Stephen Friedman on Wednesday.

Friedman hung with Pomrinca for the better part of two-plus periods before the sophomore overpowered him in the final 1:30 to secure the major.

"He's not complacent," Flynn said. "Ryan works hard and that's why he's successful. But you talk to him and you wouldn't know he placed (at states) as a freshman. You'd think he's brand new to the sport."

"Last year, I didn't know what to expect," Pomrinca said. "Once I got to district and regionals, and then qualified for states, I just wanted to go far enough to get on the medal stand. This year, the goal is to win it all."